Agumbe Ghat cleared of landslide debris

Light Motor Vehicles will be allowed to ply from 8 am of July 12

The National Highways Division of the State Public Works Department completely removed Sunday morning’s landslip debris between Hairpin Bend Nos. 10 and 11 of Abumbe Ghat on National Highway 169A by Monday evening.

Consequently, as per the orders of Deputy Commissioners of Shivamogga and Udupi districts, light motor vehicles would be allowed to ply through the Ghat, while restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles would continue till July 31, said Nagaraj Naik, AEE with the NH-PWD.

A massive landslide triggered by torrential rains had snapped connectivity between parts of the Coast with Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts through Malpe-Tirthahalli NH 169A since Sunday morning. Engineers with workers had to remove over 200 truckloads of muck from the landslide site even as fresh minor landslips were reportedly occurring on different parts of the 8 km Ghat stretch.

Meanwhile, soil experts from Hyderabad were expected to visit the Ghat on Tuesday to explore ways of building retaining walls and roads at the affected stretches.

Mr. Naik and his team comprising Shashidhar and Naveen Raj, Kudremukh Wildlife Division DCF Ganapathi, RTO Gaurav, Nadpal Gram Panchayat President Dinesh Hegde and others had joined hands in the removal of debris amid heavy rains since Sunday.

The Deputy Commissioners, meanwhile, have suggested that heavy vehicle drivers take alternative routes to drive between the Coast and the hinterland till July 31. They may take Tirthahalli-Masthikatte, Siddapura-Kundapura/Brahmavara (SH 52) or Tirthahalli-Sringeri-SK Border-Karkala (NH 169) route.